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Excuse me Commissioner Jordan, is that in your job description?

In the Loop

Athens-Clarke County Manager Alan Reddish brushed back talkative Commissioner Carl Jordan recently, sending him a polite letter that essentially said, ''Leave the managing to me and stick to policy-making.''

Jordan annoys at least one of his fellow commissioners - though most often it's States McCarter - at every meeting, but he drew Reddish's ire when he asked a county employee to review the applicants for a stormwater consultant job.

Jordan didn't like the staff recommendation about which consultant to hire, but Reddish pointed out that the charter doesn't allow commissioners to direct staff to do research for them. That's the manager's job, he said.

Reddish provided the letter to the Banner-Herald after an Open Records request, but said he was a bit uncomfortable to publicly criticize the actions of one of his bosses, even if he didn't invite the publicity.

Smoke in your eyes: Commissioners will once again take up the issue of smoking in Athens' bars and restaurants.

What's changed in the year the issue sat in the Legislative Review Committee, waiting for the five commissioners on the committee to draft a law?

Maybe John Barrow, the commissioner who championed the law in the first place, decided that maybe it isn't a good idea to attach his name to such a controversial issue while he's running for Congress.

He denies that the smoking ban was his issue, but other commissioners (and the official meeting minutes) remember differently.

So, what's changed in the two months since the committee decided not to propose a smoking ban?

Other communities did it, and committee Chairman Tom Chasteen said maybe we should, too. Though he admits the board may not have the political will to pass a law that would tell people they can't inhale smoke while they ingest alcohol.

Let's take a meeting: A few of the commissioners don't have a problem with meeting more than once a week or dispatching business at 2 a.m.

But David Lynn and Kathy Hoard - the only two commissioners who aren't retired or self-employed - told their colleagues at a recent all-day retreat that they have a hard time balancing the requirements of jobs and family against the hours-long commission meetings.

Lynn - who, like Hoard, works full-time for the University of Georgia - is pushing for all-Thursday meetings, instead of some Tuesday meetings, saying he could power through the ''hang-over'' the next day if he knew Saturday was on the other side of it.

Other commissioners just want to meet less often.

John Barrow says he needs the time.

''Debate is often meaningless, but it's important. It can be therapeutic,'' he said. He can't e-mail questions to staff because he doesn't know whether he has a question until he hears other commissioners ask questions.

''That's like saying, 'Let's hold a meeting and maybe some business will break out.' That's ridiculous,'' Tom Chasteen snapped.

Trading beer for G-strings: Attorneys for Athens' two strip clubs say they will file a motion asking the Georgia Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to dismiss an appeal that would give the bars alcohol licenses. Local law says strip clubs can't sell alcohol, but it didn't stop Chelsea's and Toppers International Showbar for eight years - until now.

At this point, the county awarded Chelsea's a liquor license - after the owner promised that dancers won't take it all off - while Toppers applied for a liquor license, but is sticking with full nudity and no booze until it's granted or rejected.

Even if the bars were to choose nudity over booze - and the law is designed to make a business owner choose - local law doesn't allow BYOB strip clubs like some other cities have, either.

Despite their apparent dedication to shutting the strip clubs down, even if it means dragging the community through years of lawsuits, officials have never cited the businesses for operating without an adult entertainment license, another requirement for nude dancing.